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Biggles Learns to Fly!
Biggles Learns to Fly! is a short story which was first published in The Modern Boy Issue 323, 14th April 1934. The story was subsequently gathered and published in 1935 in the Boys' Friend Library edition of Biggles Learns to Fly where it spanned chapters 1 and 2. The original Modern Boy short story was divided into four sections with subtitles First Time Up!, A Terrific Crash, Landed - But Lost! and Biggles Gets His Wings. The first and third became the two chapter headings for the 1935 book edition. Synopsis Biggles gets his first flight when an instructor mistakes him for one of his students. After some training, he is sent on his first solo flight but gets hopelessly lost. Plot (may contain spoilers - click on expand to read) First Time Up Biggles arrives at No. 17 FTS in Settling, Norfolk. While standing around a hangar, a flying instructor asks if he is here for the new course. When Biggles answers in the affirmative, the instructor promptly asks him to get into a plane, a Maurice Farman. The plane takes off and Biggles is given a 5 minute air experience flight which he finds so disorientating that he concludes that he would never be able to learn to fly. Back on the ground, the instructor is puzzled when he cannot find his name on his list of students. It turns out that Biggles has been taken up by mistake. His actual instructor, Captain Nerkinson finds him and leads him to join his proper course, all the while grumbling that he has been keeping everyone else waiting. Nerkinson proceeds to lecture his students about the aircraft but are interrupted when a plane piloted by a student named Rafferty comes in to land and crashes. It is, Nerkinson remarks, a beautiful picture of how not to land a plane. Landed--But Lost Nerkinson and Biggles land after a training flight three weeks later and taxy to the hangar. The instructor then steps out and tells Biggles: "Off you go". Biggles doesn't expect to be sent solo so quickly and nervously applies the throttle and takes off. After flying for a while, he turns back for the aerodrome but it is nowhere in sight! He searches desperately for it but without success. He spots a railway line and follows it but it turns out to be heading in the wrong direction. Eventually he sees a grey mass which he assumes is a fog bank but then ships appear. He's over the sea! Back over land he finds a field and lands. Another Shorthorn lands and out steps Nerkinson, angrily demanding who gave Biggles permission to land outside the aerodrome. Biggles explains that he is lost. Lost? Nerkinson tells Biggles that he had already flown over the aerodrome three times and it lies just over the hedge. Biggles follows Nerkinson back and almost crashes into him while landing. Three days later, Biggles is posted to No. 4 School of Fighting at Frensham, Lincolnshire. Shortly after arrival, he witnesses his first "real" crash when a Sopwith Pup taking off crashes into an F.E.2 coming in to land. Both aircraft spin into the ground and burst into flames. But there's no time to brood, as Biggles is taken up immediately to do gunnery practice. Another three days later and Biggles finds that he has been posted to France. There has been heavy casualties and the units there need every pilot they can get. Biggles tells the adjutant he hasn't taken his tests yet. The adjutant takes his logbook, fills in the tests and signs off on them. He then tells Biggles he may put on his wings and be on his way. Characters *Biggles *Captain Nerkinson *Rafferty *Major Maccleston Aircraft *Maurice Farman Shorthorn *Avro 504K *B.E.2 *F.E.2 *Sopwith Pup Places Visited *No. 17 Flying Training School, Settling, Norfolk *No. 4 School of Fighting, Frensham, Lincolnshire Mentioned Editorial Changes Other Research Notes References to the past Incongruities Chronology (see also table at Timeline of the Biggles Stories *From the text: September 1916 Publication History *''The Modern Boy'', Issue 323, 14th April 1934 *''Biggles Learns to Fly'', Boy's Friend Library 1935 (as two chapters: First Time Up!, Landed - But Lost!) * * * *''Biggles Learns to Fly'', Norman Wright, 2009 Category:Short stories Category:Biggles short stories Category:World War One era short stories Category:Stub